Three minutes of googling suggests this is a fake Chinese Proverb. It seems in fact to be American from the turn of the 20th c.—which makes sense, since its spirit is can-do Americanism. But why are Trump WH aides giving our proverbs to China, increasing our proverb deficit? https://t.co/bqjbZhXlQr

Larry Herzberg, a professor of Chinese at Calvin College, told the New York Times the tweet is “yet one more example of Americans ascribing a quote to the Chinese, often to Confucius, when they don’t really know the origin of the saying”.

“It sounds more legitimate and credible to pronounce a quote coming from the ancient civilisation of China.”

Ms Trump’s “Chinese proverb” has also been attributed to Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, according to the website QuoteInvestigator.com.